Kevin wrote
> It may have been Javier who wrote: (sorry, there were so many sources
> quoted) ...

Yes, it was Javier.

>>It was just a weak complaint about the bare attention paid to the audience.
>
> I'm sorry, but I do not 'catch' what happened. What attention was, or
> wasn't paid to the audience? What expectations should or could one have?
>
> There are many hundreds of people who have heard about Bourges but have
> never been provided with the opportunity of attending. I, for one, am
> interested to know what has led you to these conclusions.

Simply, I felt for many reasons that the audience was the last and less
important thing of the whole chain. For example during the concerts with the
GMEBphone or wahtever it calls. The man who was doing most of the mixing was
also presenting the pieces. Well, he hasnīt got a microphone! so he had to
repeat what he said twice, for the audience seated upstairs and for the
people downstairs. This is really funny when you are listening to 25 pairs
of independent loudspeakers.
And you know that there were short software presentations. Tom Erbe was
presenting his new version of SoundHack and I was very interested in the new
features. Unfortunately, we had to leave the room because there was a
rehearsal.
But the most embarrasing moment for the audience was the ceremony of
announcements of the prizes. At the beginning of the event there was a brief
but strong argument between someone in the stage and the man who was at the
mixing console. It was really shocking.
The different prizes were projected in a screen by means of a PowerBook
running Microsoft Word. The main computer technician at Bourges was
scrolling through the pages with the mouse. And he was doing mistakes.
All these things may sound silly, but in the tiny island where I live I for
myself have tried to present my concerts in the most professional way I can,
using the public money as best as I can, and trying to give it back to the
audience in the form of good music .And also a good show, why not?

To finish, let me comment on the sound instalations. They were put in a
beautiful castle, but there was not a single sign or mark to find them!!!

>>For me it was shocking after having made 4.000 km by bus, plane, train and
>>taxi.
>
> In Montreal, it would have of course been by BMW (Bus, Metro, Walking)
> [Cultural translation Metro = tube].

that walking third part of the trip must be funny during the winter!!

When I read your weather reports like...

12/15/1997, 05:50.
"-15 and wind. Where are my stochastic longjons? Placed randomly in a set
of drawers no doubt. "

...then I know that that would be the precise moment to make you an offer
for a job in Canary Islands.